Oct. 21, 2004
Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-4769)
Nicole Cloutier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)
MEDIA ADVISORY: M04-168
VETERAN NASA ASTRONAUTS HOROWITZ AND CAREY RETIRE
Two veteran astronauts are retiring from NASA and moving on to new
phases of their lives. Astronaut Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz, a retired
U.S. Air Force colonel, has left NASA for a position with private
industry. Astronaut Duane G. "Digger" Carey has left the space agency
to see the world from a new perspective.
Horowitz is a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He's traveled
more than 16 million miles in space during his missions, leading
activities in science, satellite maintenance and International Space
Station assembly as a commander and pilot.
Horowitz served as pilot on Shuttle mission STS-75. The mission
performed microgravity and tethered satellite science in 1996. He
flew as pilot of STS-82, a maintenance mission to the Hubble Space
Telescope in 1997. His third flight was as pilot on STS-101 in 2000,
an International Space Station assembly mission. In August 2001,
Horowitz commanded STS-105, a Station crew exchange and assembly
mission.
"Scott has made a huge contribution to NASA's exploration effort. He's
flown aboard the Space Shuttle four times, commanded a Shuttle
mission to the International Space Station, and led the Astronaut
Office's Advanced Projects Branch, which has provided key technical
input to NASA's plan for exploration of the moon and Mars," said Ken
Bowersox, director of Flight Crew Operations. "His forthright manner,
technical expertise and inquisitive nature will be missed," he added.
For biographical information about Horowitz on the Internet, visit:
www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/horowitz.html
After fulfilling his dream to pilot a Space Shuttle and see the world
from space, Duane Carey is pursuing another dream to see the world
from the open road.
Carey is a retired Air Force Lt. Col. He plans to begin a motorcycle
tour of the United States and eventually the world, camping along the
way. He and his wife, Cheryl, are moving to Colorado Springs, Colo.,
to prepare for the trip.
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Carey was the pilot for
Space Shuttle mission STS-109 in 2002, a maintenance flight to the
Hubble Space Telescope. Carey served as a Space Shuttle CAPCOM, the
communications liaison between Mission Control and spacecraft. He
also worked in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems/Operations
Branch in Houston.
"Duane is an exceptional Shuttle pilot, but years ago he was bitten by
the motorcycle touring bug, and he always wanted to return to
near-Earth exploration of our country aboard a motorcycle," Bowersox
said. "We'll really miss his skill and expertise, but we all envy him
in some way for heading off in a new direction."
"Cheryl and I will attempt to fulfill a dream we first envisioned over
25 years ago. Our 22-plus years of public service in the Air Force
and NASA have been incredibly rewarding, and we hope we've
contributed something useful to our country over those years." Carey
said.
During his motorcycle travels, Carey plans to talk to young people
about the importance of math and science and the wonder of space
travel.
"I owe a lot to my country," he explained. "I've been an Air Force jet
pilot, and I've been an astronaut. Now I want to tell people the
importance of space flight, especially in the smaller, more rural
communities I expect to visit. To explore, we must always take some
risks. We have to explore new territory. We don't know what we'll
find out there, but we have to go out and find our future," Carey
said.
For biographical information about Carey on the Internet, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/carey.html
For more information about Carey's future plans on the Internet,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/carey_retires.html
For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
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